Perseus— Greek Demigod"Slayer of Medusa"

The Golden Shower

Perseus's grandfather Acrisius, king of Argos, was warned by an oracle that his daughter's son would kill him. He locked Danaë in a bronze chamber to keep her from men, but Zeus entered as a shower of golden light, and she conceived Perseus. When Acrisius discovered the child, he cast mother and son into the sea in a wooden chest. They washed ashore on Seriphos, where the fisherman Dictys rescued them.

The Rash Promise

King Polydectes of Seriphos desired Danaë, but Perseus protected her. To remove him, Polydectes demanded wedding gifts from his subjects. Perseus, having nothing, rashly promised anything—even the head of Medusa. Polydectes accepted, expecting the young man to die attempting the impossible.

Gifts of the Gods

The gods favored Perseus. Athena gave him her polished shield to use as a mirror. Hermes provided winged sandals for flight, a cap of invisibility from Hades, and an adamantine sword that could cut anything. The Graeae, three sisters who shared one eye and one tooth, were forced to reveal Medusa's location.

The Gorgon Slayer

Perseus found the Gorgons sleeping. Using his shield as a mirror to avoid Medusa's petrifying gaze, he approached backward and struck off her head with one blow. From her neck sprang Pegasus, the winged horse, and Chrysaor, a giant with a golden sword—children of Poseidon, finally born at their mother's death. Perseus placed the head in a magic bag and fled before her immortal sisters awoke.

The Rescue of Andromeda

Flying home, Perseus saw Andromeda chained to a rock, sacrificed to a sea monster to appease Poseidon. He fell in love instantly. Using Medusa's head, he turned the monster to stone and claimed Andromeda as his bride. At her wedding, he petrified a rival suitor and his army. Eventually, returning to Argos, he accidentally killed his grandfather Acrisius with a discus—fulfilling the prophecy despite every precaution.